Typhoon hits too close to home for local residents

Published: Friday, November 15, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 10:50 p.m.

The devastation in the Philippines has hit home for residents of Western North Carolina whose loved ones currently are battling the catastrophic conditions.

Tom Broom said his wife's hometown of Wawa, Philippines, is under two to three feet of water. It also has sustained multiple damaged sewer lines. Broom said he's concerned the town will not receive aid.

"They're so isolated, they're not going to get any of the food," Broom said. "They didn't get any last time, and they're not going to get anymore this time."

Twenty-one members of Nenita Broom's family still live in Wawa, which is about a mile long and 500 yards wide.

Tom Broom said many of the Wawa residents earn less than $500 a year.

"It's unbelievable; we as Americans couldn't believe how they live when everything is fine," Tom Broom said. "They're all dirt poor — there's not even a word for how poor they are."

Tom Broom is raising money to send directly to Wawa to help its residents afford rice and clean water.

"They're not going to get any help from the government because there is none," he said. "There's going to be a lot of sickness coming out of this, if you can imagine, with the sewage and mosquitoes." For information on how to donate, call Broom at 828-692-1675.

Some of the money Broom raises will go to a doctor at a free clinic in Wawa, so she can buy prescription drugs to combat illnesses and have a truck spray to kill the mosquitoes.

Ray Dalton of Mill Spring said his girlfriend, Ainie Virtucio, is living in Carcar, which was not directly impacted by the typhoon. Carcar is just south of Cebu, Philippines, where many of the refugees have been taken. The two met four years ago when Dalton was on vacation and saw Virtucio working as a clerk in a hotel.

Dalton said he was able to call Virtucio on a cellphone Tuesday, but landlines are still down. Virtucio told him she cannot get in contact with her brother and sister, who live in the region of Leyte, which took a direct hit from the typhoon.

"They've got people there looking for them and they can't find anything," Dalton said. "She's worried because both of them could be gone, or they might just be displaced and can't get out."

Even before the typhoon, Dalton said, conditions have been harsh in the Philippines. He remembered buying Virtucio her first bedroom set after learning that she'd been sleeping on the floor her entire life. He added that she's one of the only people who owns a bed.

Dalton said there was a family just up the mountain from Virtucio's home with three children living in a 6-by-8-foot home. They all sleep on the floor, according to Dalton, and wash clothes outside on a rock with a bucket of water.

"The rich people have everything, and the poor people ... they have nothing," Dalton said. "You may not think you have it good, but you live a good life here."

<p>The devastation in the Philippines has hit home for residents of Western North Carolina whose loved ones currently are battling the catastrophic conditions.</p><p>Tom Broom said his wife's hometown of Wawa, Philippines, is under two to three feet of water. It also has sustained multiple damaged sewer lines. Broom said he's concerned the town will not receive aid.</p><p>"They're so isolated, they're not going to get any of the food," Broom said. "They didn't get any last time, and they're not going to get anymore this time."</p><p>Twenty-one members of Nenita Broom's family still live in Wawa, which is about a mile long and 500 yards wide.</p><p>Tom Broom said many of the Wawa residents earn less than $500 a year.</p><p>"It's unbelievable; we as Americans couldn't believe how they live when everything is fine," Tom Broom said. "They're all dirt poor — there's not even a word for how poor they are."</p><p>Tom Broom is raising money to send directly to Wawa to help its residents afford rice and clean water.</p><p>"They're not going to get any help from the government because there is none," he said. "There's going to be a lot of sickness coming out of this, if you can imagine, with the sewage and mosquitoes." For information on how to donate, call Broom at 828-692-1675.</p><p>Some of the money Broom raises will go to a doctor at a free clinic in Wawa, so she can buy prescription drugs to combat illnesses and have a truck spray to kill the mosquitoes.</p><p>Ray Dalton of Mill Spring said his girlfriend, Ainie Virtucio, is living in Carcar, which was not directly impacted by the typhoon. Carcar is just south of Cebu, Philippines, where many of the refugees have been taken. The two met four years ago when Dalton was on vacation and saw Virtucio working as a clerk in a hotel.</p><p>Dalton said he was able to call Virtucio on a cellphone Tuesday, but landlines are still down. Virtucio told him she cannot get in contact with her brother and sister, who live in the region of Leyte, which took a direct hit from the typhoon.</p><p>"They've got people there looking for them and they can't find anything," Dalton said. "She's worried because both of them could be gone, or they might just be displaced and can't get out."</p><p>Even before the typhoon, Dalton said, conditions have been harsh in the Philippines. He remembered buying Virtucio her first bedroom set after learning that she'd been sleeping on the floor her entire life. He added that she's one of the only people who owns a bed.</p><p>"They don't know any better," Dalton said. "They've never known anything else."</p><p>Dalton said there was a family just up the mountain from Virtucio's home with three children living in a 6-by-8-foot home. They all sleep on the floor, according to Dalton, and wash clothes outside on a rock with a bucket of water.</p><p>"The rich people have everything, and the poor people ... they have nothing," Dalton said. "You may not think you have it good, but you live a good life here."</p><p>Reach Bindewald at 828-694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com.</p>